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12 Days of Creepfest: What creeps you out most about the zombie apocalypse?

I had a dream last night that woke me up it was so terrifying. Of course, describing it here won’t do it justice, but there were some elements that I’m going to jot down to explore in my zombie fiction. In this dream, the zombies were out there, but they were not the biggest threat. They were so scattered, that people could still come and go to prepare before the zombies took over. The biggest threat was human scavengers. They were shooting people in alleys behind houses, breaking in wherever they saw people were hiding, killing them and taking their stuff. In my dream we had to keep the lights off and hide in our houses when scavenger parties walked by our windows.What creeps you out most about the zombie apocalypse?

As part of the 12 Days of Creepfest tour, I’m giving away a $5 Amazon gift card to a random commenter who has left a meaningful comment on my website during the tour. The winner will be announced the day after the tour ends, which is Christmas day.

Timothy C. Ward is a former executive producer and Hugo Nominee of Adventures in SciFi Publishing. He has been broke and lost on the other side of the world and now dreams of greater adventures from his keyboard in Des Moines, Iowa. This summer, he released his second Sand Divers book, Scavenger: A.I., where two parents use an ancient technology to fight a reproducing A.I. while trying to resurrect their deceased infant, and a new series that begins with Godsknife: Revolt, an apocalyptic battle for godhood in the rift between Iowa and the Abyss. Sign up for his newsletter for news, sales, giveaways and more: http://www.timothycward.com/newsletter/.

0 Responses to 12 Days of Creepfest: What creeps you out most about the zombie apocalypse?

What creeps me out is the possiblity that actual zombies are nothing like any that people write about. Rather than the slothful, foot-dragging, brains-craving, stereotype, or even the quick, athletic, badass, brains-craving variant, real zombies may be cold, articulate, intellectuals, that can discuss the finer points of Shakespear while chowing down on a frontal lobe that’s been diced into a low-cal salad with a nice balsamic vinagrette.

What scares me most about zombies is not them, actually, but the fact that the whole system we know and rely on, everything that we call civilized would fall and disappear through the night. What makes me cover my face scarred at night, is the thought that the next morning will come and society will be gone. Zombies will walk through the streets and my nice, warm, comfy house won’t mean anything. Super scary!

Merry Christmas! I hope next year will bring you a ton of sales and great inspiration. Thanks for this great run that was the creepfest.

Hey, Georgina! Thanks for stopping by. I totally agree, but part of me likes the adventure in society crumbling. The honest side of me knows that the food offerings would probably be the hardest part because of how picky I am. I’m pretty much a wimp, but that’s because I can be. I’m spoiled with a warm house and a wonderful wife that makes great food. Merry Christmas to you as well, and thank you. I hope for sales and inspiration for you also!

In addition to the obvious horror–dead people walking around and eating the living and all the disgusting things that are associated with being dead, one thing really squicks me out:

Eyes falling out. Being squished, popped, or otherwise destroyed. I can never watch those scenes in movies. I hope that any undead I come across will have the decency to have their eyes intact.

Asking them to do something about the smell would be a bit too much. So, if you’re going to become a zombie, strap on some protective eye-wear before you turn, because nobody wants to see your optic nerves.

I have been reading Zombie novels and short stories non stop for like a month and have been having dreams every night. The one that creeped me out the most was the one where my girlfriend had been turned into a zombie and I kept her in a cage. Her brother wanted to kill her but I wouldn’t let him. I guess the idea of your loved ones being turned is the worst part for me. Do you kill them or keep them? FYI, my girlfriend has a great sense of humor and thought it was funny
teressaoliver at gmail dot com

So true, Teressa. I almost forgot about that aspect, thanks 😉 I say close your eyes and put them down. A friend, Scott Roche, has a zombie short story, “Let Go,” that plays on this fear that you’d probably like: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82605 (it’s only .99) Do you have any recommendations? Short stories seem hard to find for the good ones. Thanks for stopping by, Teressa!